By Kevin Henry
Editor, Proofs magazine
When the American Dental Association stuck with its plans to hold the 150th Annual Session in Honolulu despite the economic climate, many thought this would be a lackluster meeting. Upon first glance, the ADA gathering exceeded all expectations.
While official attendance numbers have not been released by the ADA, it’s safe to say that the number of attendees (and the number of people visiting the exhibit hall) was well above the expectations of many exhibitors. Fearing a quiet exhibit hall and huge shipping and storage costs, many exhibitors cut back at this year’s annual session and some went as far as to not attend the meeting. However, many of those exhibitors who came were very pleased with the attendance and the exhibit floor traffic.
Although the number of products introduced at this year’s meeting was low compared to past ADA gatherings, there were some rolled out that will be of interest to dental hygienists. Among them were …
- Colgate-Palmolive introduced Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief desensitizing paste with Pro-Argin, calling it “a major advance in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity.” The product is clinically proven to provide instant and lasting sensitivity relief for four weeks after just one application. For more information, check out www.colgateprofessional.com.
- Smile Reminder rolled out Zubumail, a new patient acquisition tool. Using data-targeted models and what the company bills as the industry’s largest library of pre-built professional creative, Zubumail takes a lot of the guesswork and hassle out of finding prospective new patients for a practice. Visit www.zubumail.com for more information.
- The creators of the nation’s first green dental office, Transcendentist, Inc., launched their initial offering of green dental products and services for dental professionals, including a uniquely designed, reusable cloth dental operatory line of head rest covers, patient bibs, and light handle covers. This line not only reduces waste but can save a dental practice as much as $2,337 a year, according to Transcendentist. I also saw an all-natural aromatherapy line specially created for the dental office, called Joysence™, which includes a CDC-compliant hand-sanitizer containing organic alcohol, as well as a scented lotion, hand soap and room and hot towel spritz. For more information, visit www.transcendentist.com.
To see my daily recaps from Honolulu, please visit the PennWell dental community video library at community.pennwelldentalgroup.com.
